William Robert Orban (21 April 1922 – 18 October 2003) was a Canadian public servant and academic.

In 1941 he was offered a hockey scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he initially studied engineering.

Many Air Force pilots were located in remote bases in northern Canada, with no access to these facilities, so it was important to offer a means of keeping fit without their use.

[2] In 1958, the University of Saskatchewan employed Orban to take the position of dean at its new Physical Education programme.

He hoped that it would allow training times for athletes to be cut and help people recovering from illnesses to become fitter.

[3] With his wife, Virginia Krasiun, Orban had five sons, Bill, Jim, John, Jerry, and Danny and two daughters, Victoria and Patricia .